Orionid Meteor Shower Lights Up Skies Around the World

Stargazers worldwide were treated to a real show during the third weekend of October when the Orionid meteor shower sent bits and pieces of Halley's Comet falling down to Earth. The meteor shower peaked in the early morning hours of Sunday, Oct. 21. For those who could not see the falling stars in person from where they were at, NASA offered a live streaming feed online from the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The Orionid meteor shower is a result of the Earth passing through ice and dusty debris left over from the famous Halley's Comet, last seen in 1986. The meteors hit the Earth's atmosphere at about 150,000 mph, breaking apart and creating the visible flashes of light across the sky.

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